And You?

After convincing Zhu Li, the two immediately rushed home to plan their escape route.

Zhu Li temporarily parted ways with them, claiming she needed to handle some final loose ends.

At Chen Xi's house, the two tapped away at a laptop on the guest table, searching for information.

They borrowed Zhu Li's account and, combined with posts from the Deep Discussion Forum, analyzed where the Evil Flower organization's encirclement was weakest.

Three hours later, Chen Xi finally settled on a rough route.

"Let's take this path." She projected the computer screen onto the TV.

"First, drive to Linxi City, then take a boat from Linxi City to Huaijiang Port..."

Chen Xi paused mid-sentence, suddenly noticing that Lin Yue didn't seem to be looking at the screen at all—instead, she was tilting her head, sneaking glances at her.

That dazed expression was just like a student zoning out in class.

"Lin Yue." Chen Xi called softly, her gaze dark as she stared at her. "Are you listening?"

"Huh?!" The blonde girl's wandering soul snapped back to reality in an instant.

Chen Xi quietly closed the laptop and said coldly, "Briefly repeat what I just said."

Hearing that, Lin Yue immediately turned to look at the TV, but Chen Xi had already anticipated her move and cut the projection.

"Uh... we take a boat to Linxi City first..." She spoke while watching Chen Xi's expression.

"Then take a plane..." Lin Yue stammered.

Chen Xi's tone was exasperated: "Planes have the strictest security. Can you listen to me seriously? I'm not joking."

At a life-or-death moment like this, Lin Yue still dared to zone out.

Unless she was charmed, or else...

Wait... charmed. Chen Xi glanced at Lin Yue, who was still staring intently at her, her cheeks flushed red.

She'd originally thought it was a trick of the light, but now it didn't seem that way.

Chen Xi's eyes darted away as she struggled to keep her voice steady: "Kiss me. You've been charmed by me."

Lin Yue's face lit up with sudden realization.

"No wonder I felt something was off from the start—so it was your charm again."

Saying that, she leaned in without hesitation and kissed Chen Xi on the cheek.

Rarely getting an excuse to kiss Chen Xi, Lin Yue put all her effort into it.

Ten seconds later, the two finally ended the long, deep kiss.

"Phew—" Lin Yue released her lips with satisfaction, exhaling a warm breath.

Chen Xi wiped the slightly reddened skin on her right cheek with her sleeve, her voice annoyed: "Are you a vacuum cleaner? Kissing that hard."

Lin Yue pouted and muttered under her breath, "How is this my fault? And whose charm was it, exactly?"

She crossed her arms smugly and said, "If you're not happy, you can kiss me back."

Knowing she was in the wrong, Chen Xi started changing the subject: "I'm not messing around with you. Since the problem's solved, let's get back to business."

She re-projected the screen: "We'll take the boat to Linjiang, then drive the last leg all the way to Chaoyu City."

"The only problem left now is that Qianqi Weiming."

"According to what you said, it took her about a day to find you. If we leave early, I don't know if she'll sense it ahead of time."

"So in the end, it comes down to fists. But along our drive, we can take care of local Legends along the way to boost our strength."

Lin Yue hesitated after hearing that, speaking uncertainly: "Her strength might only be Third Rank lower tier, but it doesn't seem like something we can handle."

"That's why I called Zhu Li." Chen Xi said in a low voice.

"The closer to death, the stronger Zhu Li gets."

"Zhu Li told me she can briefly hold her own against the weakest Third Rank Transcendent."

"With you and me supporting her on the side, even though there's no typhoon near Linxi City, our chances of winning are still high."

All of the above was complete nonsense from Chen Xi.

The gap between Third Rank and Second Rank was far greater than that between First and Second. As long as Qianqi Weiming activated her domain, wiping them out was only a matter of time.

So in this cycle, Chen Xi had never aimed to survive from the start. She would use her own death and this journey to weave the highest-quality CG.

That was the real way to break the deadlock.

Only with a myth-grade CG could she take down Qianqi Weiming in a short time.

The girl had no idea she was being perfectly set up, still immersed in Chen Xi's fabricated future: "So you're saying we can actually win?"

"Pretty much." Chen Xi's eyes dropped, the real plan already taking shape in her mind.

Knock knock knock—

A knock at the door. Both of them looked toward the entrance.

"Zhu Li-jie's knocking. I'll get it." Lin Yue stood up, half-walking, half-hopping.

Watching her lighthearted retreating figure, Chen Xi leaned back in her computer chair, an unreadable expression in her eyes.

"I really am... thoroughly rotten..."

In the living room, the two of them and Zhu Li went over the plan once more.

Hearing this, the red-haired girl stole a startled glance at Chen Xi, then quietly turned her gaze toward the visibly excited Lin Yue.

[I have something I want to discuss with Chen Xi alone. Due to the limitations of my ability, no third party can hear it. Xiao Yue, could you step out for a moment?]

"There's a restriction like that?"

Lin Yue swept her suspicious gaze over the two of them.

"What, you think I'm lying?" Chen Xi met her eyes, her expression unruffled.

"Then I'll go to the balcony. Take your time."

Seeing how calm she was, Lin Yue bought it, casually grabbing her phone and a drink before heading to the balcony.

Once she closed the door, the atmosphere in the living room instantly chilled.

[I don't recall ever saying I could contend with a Third Rank Transcendent.]

Flames flickered around her as Zhu Li sat sideways, trying to read something from Chen Xi's face.

It was time to test her acting skills. Chen Xi quickly slipped into character.

She looked toward Lin Yue on the balcony, who had her back turned and was scrolling through her phone, her eyes carrying a hint of tragic resolve: "I lied to her."

[Why?] Zhu Li didn't understand.

Chen Xi's tone was resigned: "Because there's no chance of victory at all. You know that too, Zhu Li."

[That's true...]

Zhu Li followed her gaze, quietly watching the blonde girl's silhouette.

"But she's different."

"Lin Yue has a hidden ability. When her emotions reach their peak, the power she unleashes can easily eliminate Qianqi Weiming."

Hearing this, Zhu Li instantly grasped her plan.

[You want to use your own death to trigger that ability?]

"That's right. So, I'm counting on you."

Lin Yue stealthily half-turned to peek at them, and the two of them silently averted their gazes.

"I'm sorry for using you."

Chen Xi's eyes were so sincere that they even stirred a flicker of jealousy in Zhu Li.

She wanted to ask, And what about you? What will you do?

Chen Xi clearly had no tracker on her; escaping on her own would be no problem at all.

But...

Zhu Li recalled her experiences with the blonde girl—how she always paid attention to her emotions, clumsy yet kind...

Silent, Zhu Li still couldn't bring herself to say those words.

After a long pause, she slowly nodded.